I primarily work with wheelchair and adaptive athletes, and I'm writing from the USTA's National Campus in Orlando for the country's latest adaptive tournament. This one is particularly exciting as it features both the traditional Unified Doubles Competition and, for the first time, an inaugural singles invitational for athletes with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD).
In the Unified Doubles format, the adaptive athlete is the central focus of the match play. The unified partner's role is to maintain rallies and support their partner, ensuring the adaptive athlete is at the forefront of the competition, rather than dominating play or hitting winners. Despite this collaborative approach, the level of competition is truly exceptional. We have 25 Unified Doubles teams representing 10 of the 17 USTA Sections competing here.